Introduction to Folklore: Traditional Studies in Europe and Elsewhere

by Ronald M. James

Folklore! The very word captures the imagination and sends the mind on flights of fancy. Dragons, ogres, witches, elves, and heroes and heroines, all featured in legends and folktales, known to anyone who had a story read to them as a child or who saw a film adapted from these tales. And yet, oral traditions and the beliefs they reflect, as well as the customs and magical practices of pre-industrial Europe, are poorly understood by many because this is the realm of the folk, removed from the written record. "Introduction to Folklore" is an overview of oral traditions and beliefs as they manifested in pre-industrial Europe, presented in an approachable way, made available, for the casual reader as well as the specialist. This book is intended to offer readers with an opportunity to learn about how the discipline of folklore, which began with the Brothers Grimm, deals with everything from folktales and legends to calendar customs and magic. By placing material extending from fairytales to myth in perspective, the text ends with discussions of urban legends, UFOs, and Internet folklore. The author draws on the work of his mentor, Sven Liljeblad (1899-2000), himself the student of the great Swedish theoretician Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, who studied under a student of Jacob Grimm. "Introduction to Folklore" opens the door to appreciating the origins of aspects of tradition, many of which remain ingrained in everyday life and yet are poorly understood. And it draws on method and scholarship that has progressed for two centuries, offering insights into popular culture, which need not remain a mystery. Originally published as an e-book in 2014; issued as a softbound book in 2017 with minor revisions. 15 illustrations; bibliography; index. Minor revisions - 2017.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Folklore, Mythology, European History

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2014

About the author

Ronald M. James is the author or co-author of ten books, and he received the Wilbur S. Shepperson Humanities Book Award in 1998. His articles on history, folklore, and archaeology have appeared in six countries, and he has lectured on western history throughout the nation. James also lectures occasionally at the University of Nevada, Reno in history and folklore. He is the chairman of the National Historic Landmarks Committee for the National Park Service, and he served as Nevada’s State Historic Preservation Officer for three decades.

Reviews

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book served my purposes alright, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for beginners interested in folklore studies. As someone with a pagan-ish background who is interested in the ways that folklore is embedded in cultural and seasonal practices and narratives, especially from a European perspective, I found some interesting information here. However, James's viewpoint is narrow and his tone is often imperious and absolutist, with little wiggle room for different perspectives on the subject. In addition, his censure of folkloric phenomena such as gender- and race-based jokes and nationalistic adoption of folkloric information is wan and lacking. TLDR: some interesting folkloric information for curious pagans, but from a limited and sometimes problematic perspective.

[Solomon Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the easiest of reads as it is the outline for an introductory course on the topic of folklore and often focuses on the historiography and practices of the study rather than folklore itself but has enough of both to keep a reader engaged

[B. Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to folklore with plenty of definitions and examples. I appreciate that the author wanted to make this as affordable as possible.

[Truong Tang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, on-point, informative, and insightful. However, the writing is dry and dull sometimes.

[Samrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit on the drier side, but engaging. James presents the study of folklore in a way I'd never thought of.

[Vincent Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the author on reddit once and decided to read his book. I thought his reddit posts were pretty good, but the book was just okay.